Video: Sparks fly as Calif. high-speed pursuit comes to end

Joshua Beesley, 40, was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon on a police officer and felony evading

By Rick Hurd
Contra Costa Times

ANTIOCH — An Antioch man, who struck a police officer while pulling away from a traffic stop en route to leading police on a chase that reached 100 mph, was arrested Wednesday night, police said.

Joshua Beesley, 40, was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon on a police officer and felony evading, authorities said.

Richmond police detectives pulled Beesley over for a traffic violation in the area of G and Texas streets at 7:04 p.m., police said. Detectives saw knives and razor blades in the car near Beesley and suspected he might be under the influence of an unknown substance, said Richmond police Sgt. Nicole Abetkov.

When officers tried to remove him from the car, a struggle ensued, and Beesley took off, striking one of the officers with his side mirror, Abetkov said. The officer was not injured.

Richmond police, the California Department of Corrections, Federal Bureau of Investigation and Contra Costa District Attorney's Office worked in cooperation with the enforcement, Antioch police Sgt. Tony Morefield said.

Police deployed spike strips at several places during the pursuit, which lasted more than an hour and was continued by Richmond police after Antioch police halted their pursuit, officials said. The chase went through parts of Antioch, Pittsburg, Bay Point and Concord, Morefield said. Pittsburg police and the California Highway Patrol also joined the pursuit, he said.

The driver exited Highway 4 and ran over the strips, then circled the neighborhood on the car's rims until it finally became disabled in the 2900 block of Longview Road, Morefield said. The suspect then tried to run away from police but didn't get far before officers captured him, he said.